Looking to buy a new computer. Need some help

[JuddWack]

Hey guys. I'm thinking of investing in a new desktop and getting back into some powerful 3D design. I dont feel comfortable buying parts and assembling it myself so I'd like to buy barebones, but I'm having 2 problems that keep reoccurring and prevent me from buying the machine.

1. Most the barebone kits I see have integrated mid-range video on the motherboard. Since I'd like a dedicated graphics card it seems silly to pay for this feature that I won't be using.

2. Memory problems. For example it supports up to 4GB on 2 slots and comes with 3GB. Or supports up to 4GB on 2 slots and comes with 2 sticks of 1 GB. I definitely want 4GB of memory so it seems wasteful to pay for this and replace it.

I'd love some comments advice on computer shopping or links to machines you think I may be interested in. I'm comfortable replacing memory and installing video cards, I just don't want to deal with the hassels of setting up a new computer from scratch. With or without an OS is fine, but without seems better since I already own a copy of Windows XP. I'd like to set my price range at $650-700 for just the desktop (no monitor, keyboard, mouse and speakers). DVD and CD burning is not important to me. Do you guys think its doable to get what I want for that price?

Would love some feedback.
Thanks.

[not just souLLy now]

I'd imagine you'd be hard pressed to find a barebone kit without intergrated graphics, don't worry about it, stick in the card you like and you'll be fine

[JuddWack]

Really? Last time I bought a barebone kit was in 1999. Did they even have integrated video then?

[adventure_of_link]

Really? Last time I bought a barebone kit was in 1999. Did they even have integrated video then?

What do you mean by barebones kit? Like one that comes preassembled from Dell, HP, or something? if so, Yeah, sadly they had integrated gfx. I do remember using some of the Dell computers in school around 2000-2001, and IIRC those were made in '99 and had 8MB of integrated video. I also remember seeing a OEM computer made in '97-'98 which was a buddy of mine's, and IIRC THAT had integrated video AND windows 95, although it was possible to install 98 on it.

Be careful when you buy these kinds of computers dude. I managed to get a desktop in 2003 with only integrated video. NO AGP whatsoever. I'd need to buy a whole new board (and possibly a new case?) for that, although to be fair I've seen some computers recently with a PCI-E x16 slot and integrated video.

[Ex-Cyber]

Really? Last time I bought a barebone kit was in 1999. Did they even have integrated video then?

I had a 486-based system with an integrated Tseng Labs VGA chipset (prebuilt, not barebone, but the principle is the same). I think it was made around 1992 or so. The modern stuff differs primarily in that the GPU is integrated on the north bridge rather than being a separate chipset hardwired into a PCI/ISA/VLB bus.

[JuddWack]

link, I really just mean a case with all the basics I guess. I thought I found one just now but realized it had no PCI-Express 16x, like you pointed out.

I think this looks nice.
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications ... V133-91300
It is pretty well under budget for what I get so I can spend quite a bit on the graphics card when I need to upgrade off the integrated video a month or two down the road. It also has a nice power supply to support it when that happens. And to top it off it doesn't have a gay ass case.
Throw in this ram
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications ... u=C13-6082
And I think I may have a winner.

[Stormwatch]

Ew. Friggin' ridiculous cases with neon lights.

[melancholy]

Wow, $320 for just a case, motherboard, and processor? And that processor isn't even that good. At that price, it seems like it'd be cheaper just to buy a branded computer and a separate video card.

[Roofus]

Yeah you can get a decent HP tower for ~$600 and you can just upgrade the video card.

[JuddWack]

Yah I ended up passing on that. I realized I won't be able to install my copy of XP on it so I might as well go for one with an OS. They don't seem much more expensive anyway. I'll check out some of HPs. I did a little reading up on processors too.

Stormwatch, if you think that case is bad the others are hideous.

[AWESOM-O]

New $799 Mac Mini! Or new iMac. The new ones are a really good value.

[DaMadFiddler]

New $799 Mac Mini! Or new iMac. The new ones are a really good value.

A Mac Mini doesn't exactly give you the chops for any sort of serious 3D work. Granted, the 9400M the new ones come with is leaps and bounds better than the Intel integrated graphics the Mini used to come with, but if he's getting the computer for 3D design work, he wants a good graphics card. And I'm not sure any other Macs (he'd need at least the $1499 iMac to get anything with a decent GPU) are in his budget.

[JuddWack]

Yah, mac is definitely out for many reasons. I really want to get my hands dirty with Unreal Ed and Source. I got potentially several months of unemployment coming at me so I need something to show for it

I'm not finding a configuration I like and am thinking it may be best to buy all my parts individually. I even tried to build to my taste on several of the major sellers, like Dell, Gateway, etc. I was going to follow this guide:
http://static.tigerdirect.com/html/pcbuildingtips.html
Any tips that may not be so obvious?

[melancholy]

Instead of buying straight from the manufacturer, you'd probably save more money by watching Sunday ads and finding a tower on sale, then dropping a video card in it.

[Mister X]

Don't ever buy prebuilt desktop systems.

Look, this is a cheap partial-system I ordered for a friend. Runs great, piss-easy to assemble.
http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/Publi ... er=8848605

She already had a nice Antec power supply and a decent HDD. System is primarily used for games like Knights of the Old Republic, Psychonauts, watching video, general web browsing.

Motherboards aren't nearly as delicate as you might think. Just be sure to ground yourself every few seconds by touching the case you're installing the board into.

My recommendations:
Motherboard: Gigabyte
Video card: Whatever fits your needs, do some research, check Tomshardware, Slickdeals, other tech deal sites to see what's on sale
RAM: Pfft, as long as it doesn't have an 80% DOA rating in the reviews, whatever you feel like.
Sound card: Optional unless you have a decent setup
Display: Acer LCD panels
Keyboard: Whatever
Mouse: Microsoft Wheel Mouse Optical

[melancholy]

HP isn't a bad pre-built computer. The typical HP has Asus motherboards and Western Digital hard drives. Anyway, you'd be better off either buying pre-built, or building from scratch. Doing a barebone kit is not really the ideal solution.

[curt_grymala]

HP isn't a bad pre-built computer.

HP is actually a pretty good pre-built computer. However, if you want high-end performance from an HP, you are going to pay for it. You can get a quad-core machine with a large hard drive (up to 1TB), 1 gig video card, 8 gigs of RAM or more and a good bit more performance-related items from HP, but it's going to set you back a pretty penny (I think, when I looked at them the other day, it was between three and four grand for a box with all of those upgrades - I can't remember for sure, as I was really trying to focus on notebooks - which cost at least that much with a lot less of the performance upgrades).

[Mister X]

And anyone who would seriously think about paying four thousand dollars for a desktop computer would be better served with a midget in a box who makes beeping sounds with his mouth and randomly shouts DOES NOT COMPUTE.

What, does everybody think that static electricity is some ethereal and magical force, some deviltry that exists to frighten small animals and computer chips?

There is no reason not to build one's own system anymore. It's all tab-A and slot-B. I swear, Lego sets are more complicated and fraught with danger.

You can carry a motherboard around by the processor block, after you lock the heatsink down.

[melancholy]

HP isn't a bad pre-built computer.

HP is actually a pretty good pre-built computer. However, if you want high-end performance from an HP, you are going to pay for it. You can get a quad-core machine with a large hard drive (up to 1TB), 1 gig video card, 8 gigs of RAM or more and a good bit more performance-related items from HP, but it's going to set you back a pretty penny (I think, when I looked at them the other day, it was between three and four grand for a box with all of those upgrades - I can't remember for sure, as I was really trying to focus on notebooks - which cost at least that much with a lot less of the performance upgrades).

Considering he about bought a barebones kit with an AMD X2 4200+ and 1GB of RAM for $320, he could get the cheapest HP tower out there and still be better off. Hell, I bought a Gateway tower with an AMD X2 5000+, 3GB RAM, and a 500GB hard drive for $340 on clearance. Not that I recommend Gateway, though...

[JuddWack]

Hey guys. I'm back. I checked HP, Dell, Gateway, everybody and tried to make a configuration for me but couldnt find anything I liked.

Here is what I'm currently thinking. I'm very happy about the price. I got 2 nice monitors from work so I don't have to worry about that. Do you guys think this will run Unreal 3 well?

http://img8.imageshack.us/img8/2512/config1o.gif

PS: Anyone know why image tags never display my images?